2012 - a year of Conscious Self Care

It sneaks up on you like an obnoxious weed, which suddenly appears one day and then the next, until it has completely taken over the whole garden.

One day you are going about your own business, doing your weekly grocery shopping and there it is, staring at you in the middle of the aisle, the Valentines’ Day card stand.

You feel a knot form in your stomach and maneuver your trolley around the stand as fast as you can. The next day you can’t escape.  There are large cardboard love hearts in shop windows everywhere. February 14th is approaching fast and there is nothing you can do about it.

But for the single girl, there are ways to survive it. Here are 10 rules that will have you not only feeling great but being the envy of all your girlfriends with their Valentine sweethearts.

Rule No: 1

Surviving the Commercialism!

If Valentines’ Day makes you feel left out or lonely then I urge you to check out the real meaning of the day and how it came into being, apparently it’s shrouded in mystery. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death

Tragically romantic maybe but not the sort of thing you would like to see continued in today’s day and age.  So if that is not enough to help you through the day and you succumb to the marketing of giant corporations then here are nine more rules to get you through!

Rule No: 2

Surviving the Flower Deliveries!

To avoid having the only flowerless desk in your office, consider this little tip. A few weeks before the big day start buying yourself a bunch of fresh cut flowers for the home. Let people know that you have decided to treat yourself this year for no other reason other than you’re worth it. Then when friends and family comment about how they received a lovely bunch of roses, you will be able to congratulate them and then let them know that you get flowers every week.

You will need to keep this up for a couple of weeks after Valentines’ Day so that no-one suspects anything suspicious. Or how about keeping it up all year? Flowers are great to have in the home and you do deserve it.

Rule No: 3

Surviving the Gift Giving!

Apparently the average amount spent on a gift for Valentines’ Day is around $150 so it is only fitting that we multiply this figure by the number of years you have been single. So if the number is three years then you have a justifiable $450 to spend on the perfect gift for yourself.

Forget lingerie that is the wrong size, stuffed bears or even jewelry that you will never wear. This is the chance to buy those shoes you have been eyeing for months or the latest designer handbag. Then on Monday when everyone in the office is showing off their sweetheart’s purchases, grab that bag, swing it over your shoulder and announce proudly, ‘three years baby’, and walk on by.

Rule No: 4

Surviving the Card Sending!

Make a list of all the women you know who will not be receiving anything from their significant others. You may be surprised by the number that you come up with. Think of your mother, those married for over 10 years, or maybe even five. Then send them all a Valentines Card telling them all how much they rock. The fact that you won’t be receiving a card won’t even matter to you because the joy of giving to your sisterhood will far outweigh any sadness.

Rule No: 5

Surviving the Romantic Night Out!

Now this is where you have to go all out and really treat yourself. A pampered night in with your favorite take away and a bottle of red is in order here. Total control of the remote and DVD choice is a luxury that ends when one becomes two so you will be the envy of all your girlfriends.

A bubble bath with candles and aromatherapy oils and some relaxing background music is a must. Accompany this with an attitude that you are the luckiest girl in the world and dismiss all thoughts of being a lonely loser who can’t get a date and this night in will be a hit.

Remember most girls would die for a night like this so enjoy!

Rule No: 6

Surviving the Movie Choice!

When the big day arrives and you start to feel a little low and decide to reach for a DVD to take your mind off things, for goodness sake do not get anything remotely associated with love and romance. Definitely avoid ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ and ‘The Notebook’. Do not go near these titles with a 10 foot pole. Instead reach for anything that resembles girl power like ‘Charlie’s Angels’. If you need a reality check then head for ‘He’s Just Not That into You’.

Be kind to yourself girlfriend.  It’s the least you can do.

Rule No: 7

Surviving the Music Choice!

The same rules apply here as in Rule 5. When selecting your music for the day, avoid Celine Dion like the plague. Big love ballads are not appropriate in this situation. The best thing to do is put on your favorite lycra body suit and  crank up Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’ and dance your little toochie off.

This is sure to increase any pheromones and induce a state of pure happiness.

Rule No: 8

Surviving the Low Self-Esteem!

Wear something that makes you feel pretty, even if you’re not going anywhere. Do your hair like you would if you were going out and put on some makeup. Nothing boosts your self-esteem than feeling and looking great.

Then if you feel like it, hit the shops or go catch a movie. If by chance you run into an ex who’s jaw  drops when he sees you, well that’s life isn’t it!

Rule No: 9

Surviving the “Poor Me’s”!

Valentines’ Day seems to hit home for a lot of single people even more so than any other day of the year. It’s a big reminder that you don’t have that certain someone in your life. So let’s turn that around, on this day let’s change the rules and make Valentines’ Day about ALL the love in your life, not just THE love in your life.

Just that simple shift can result in a quantum leap and provide all the contentment in your situation you need to get you through the day. Why not have that attitude every day. It sure can’t hurt and it might even change your life, you never know till you give it a try!

Rule No: 10

Surviving the Day!

Once you have made it through the day, pour yourself a drink, sit back and exhale. Then congratulate yourself for making it through another bloody Valentines’ Day!!!!

Filed under: Relationships

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I remember my first Christmas with my new in-laws. See, they do the BIG family thing but for two whole weeks, not one day. Because Ian’s two brothers and parents all live in different states, they come together every other year bringing with them the whole clan of off spring.

Now if this isn’t stressful enough, I had only met his family once, before we secretly eloped under the Eiffel Tower(that’s another story). So here we all are in the family home. All 14 of us plus Nana, the cousins, the cousin in-laws, the aunts and uncles, the grand kids, and the great grand kids and guess who everyone wants the low down on? ME!

PRESSURE!!!!! I just wanted Santa to whisk me away in his sleigh and set me up in his toy factory. But no, I had to buck up and pull my head in and just be myself. But that’s the thing. Is myself good enough? Because that’s where our head goes sometimes when we are under pressure isn’t it? We start thinking worst case scenario and soon enough a simple lunch turns into a cat fight scene from Next Top Model.

In the end, Christmas ended up being pretty good once I applied the 5 tips I am about to share with you. Christmas can be the most stressful time of the year for a lot of people. Diet and exercise go out the window and then we start to feel guilty which adds more stress. I’ve put together 5 simple tips that can help you sail through this Christmas relatively unscathed so that you can have fun and enjoy the festivities and the in-laws

There are lots of situations in life that produce stress but worrying over things that you cannot change magnifies the stress. The situation then becomes fear based and anything grounded in fear blocks the flow and prevents or slows down achieving the desired outcome.

So here are 5 ways to avoid unnecessary stress and worry in any situation.

1. Step back from the time machine. Going into the future in your head and thinking about all the ‘what-if’s’ and ‘maybes’ will only cause you to freak out more. Going into the past and dredging up all the “shoulda, coulda, wouldas’ will only cause heartache and regret. Stay in the present moment and look at what is real. Most of the time it is not as bad as it seems.

2. Lose the drama queen act, sweetie. We can be very good at turning a mole hill into a mountain and we do this by being a drama queen. For some people they need drama in their lives to feel alive and so they turn a headache into a tumour or an innocent look into a full blown affair. Drama taps into the wrong kind of energy and it’s like sugar. It will give you a quick fast burst of energy but will then completely fatigue you.

3. Scratch the record. When we continually go over and over something in our head we create our own bad song record in our head. We keep playing this bad song over and over again and it becomes catchy. Soon enough you can’t get it out of your head. Sort of like what Billy Ray Cyrus did to us with ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ (Bad song). We need to scratch the record so we stop thinking the negative thoughts. Once it’s scratched we replace it with more positive empowering thoughts.

4. Don’t try and play God. If you can’t change the situation then don’t try to. I couldn’t get out of Christmas so I just had to let it go. Surrender to what is and have faith that the right outcome will happen. Just because you don’t know what it is yet doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. Keep the faith, sister.

5. Stop, Drop and Roll. Well, that’s if you’re on fire but if you’re not then I suggest you have another little action plan that helps you out when you feel yourself in a stressful situation. We have a little guy called Rompa. He is a crocodile from the Crocodiles not Waterlillies personal development course and he stands for:

Relax

Observe

Manage

Patience

Act

Rompa is always good in a sticky situation. So there you have it, 5 suggestions that will help you stay grounded and centered this Christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Filed under: Health and Wellbeing, Personal Development

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It seems a pattern of mine is that I tend to make life changes in huge gigantic leaps, not small bite size pieces that are easier and more manageable to handle.

For example when I got married, I didn’t JUST get married. Getting married alone is enough to warrant at least 12 months counseling  pre and post the BIG DAY.

No, I got married in Paris to the love of my life, a man whom I’d known a total of 9 months in a long distance relationship. I gave up my job, moved interstate to a place where I had no friends or family. We decided to go into partnership with our business yet I had no clue what my role was. Add to this the fact that I was now a step mother to 2 pre-teens and had an ex-wife in the picture and a whole in-law family who had met me once.

Now I’m not the type to make it easy on myself. So I developed a whole identity crisis in relation to what my purpose in life was then (only a little thing right!). I added to this the whole step-monster syndrome not to mention comparing myself to the very present ex wife.  And OMG, what was I thinking.

Now let’s jump forward six years. My marriage has survived, the business has grown. I got in good with the in-laws and I managed to navigate my way into teenage hood with ‘step kids’ without too much alcohol . The ex was actually one of those people that turned out to be my biggest teacher. Who would have guessed?

So now we are in a comfortable position, we think. Yeah! Let’s find our ideal property and move. OK, easy done. Nine months later, we have moved our home and business interstate, expanded the business to include a spa and retreat because we could, left family and friends once again and now have a complete start up business to build.  I don’t even know how to get to Office Works yet!

Breathe Karina.

So if your life can sometimes be a little similar and you need a few tips to help you through the day then I have a couple of tried and tested techniques to help you out.

1. No matter how busy you get, don’t give up your morning ritual. That’s if you have a morning ritual and if you don’t then I suggest you get one. But not just any ritual, it has to be one that grounds you and centres you.

Meditation is ideal and it doesn’t have to be long, just 10 minutes is enough to bring you back into your body and the NOW moment and out of your head and all the worry and stress that comes with that.

My ritual consists of a 15 minute meditation, followed by prayer and setting my intention for the day. I follow this with 5 minutes of writing in my journal which helps clear away the white noise and provides clarity.

2. Finish the day with an upper. No, I don’t mean a chemical upper; I’m talking about the natural kind. Gratitude is the best natural organic upper you could find. Finding the blessing in your day and being grateful for the little things as well as the big is one of the most life changing things you can do.

So even in the midst of what seems like the worst day ever and all you want to do is crawl into bed and hide away, I encourage you to find that one thing you can say, ‘Yep, I can be grateful for that’ and don’t just say it, feel it. The blessing is in the feeling.

3. Let go of the guilt and pat yourself on the back. When your ‘to do’ list is as long as a Bryce Courtney novel and you feel like you’re just not achieving anything then do yourself a favour and pick your top 5 best bets and back a sure thing.

Go through and prioritise your list and then concentrate on just those things. Turn the phone off, the email off and shut the door and work in 90 minute spurts with a break in between.  And by break I mean move around and get out of your office.

Once you have crossed your top 5 off, don’t go down the guilt track for not doing other things.  Pat yourself on the back and do something to celebrate.

Even the horse that wins the Melbourne cup gets a bag of chaff after they’ve been able to cross that race off their list.

So there are a couple of tips that hopefully will help get you through life’s big challenges a bit more balanced and in control.

Next time we will look at a few more ways of dealing with change so that you can come through with not too much damage

Filed under: Health and Wellbeing, Stress Management

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I create a menu plan for the week!
Creating a menu plan for the week not only helps you to get organized, it also helps you save waste. How much food do you throw out because it has expired or you bought it thinking you would use it at some stage and never did?

Every Sunday I sit down with some favorite recipe books and create a menu for the week. It only takes half an hour and at the end of the process I know not only what we are going to eat for the week but also what I will need to buy. This saves me money at the grocery store because I don’t buy things I don’t need.

You need to look at your upcoming week and decide who is going to be home to eat meals and how much time you will have to cook your meals.  If Ian is away for a few days, then I know that I only need to cook for myself but I’ll make a serving for two so that I can eat it the next day for lunch or dinner, saving me time. This is great if you know you have to work late one night. You already have the main course cooked and you can vary it with a different side dish.
We have provided you with a great little tool called the ‘Enrich Food Planner‘.

On the front is a shopping list and on the back is the menu planner. When you work out what meals you will be preparing then you list the ingredients you will need to buy on the shopping list. This way you know that you will have all the ingredients needed to make the recipe on the appropriate day instead of wasting time racing to the supermarket to get what you need that day.

It may seem like a hassle to have to sit down and prepare for the week but believe me the energy it saves you in regards to time, money, environment, health and stress is enormous and once you get into the habit you will never want to stop.
My menu plan excites me
Food nourishes the body.  It is the fuel for life so you need to be excited about what goes in it. When planning a menu for the week, it’s good to look at recipe books and pick the recipes that make you look forward to that day. When you give your meal planning attention, then you are consciously making healthier choices instead of deciding at the last minute what to feed the family and then making the decision based on limited time and choices. This leads to eating fast food or what I call ‘same old same old’, meals that you revert to because they are quick and easy and you’ve cooked them a thousand times.

Exciting meals doesn’t mean restaurant quality or Masterchef induced dishes.   They are simply meals that make you go hmmm, because you know that they are healthy and that they are easily prepared according to your love or lack of it, for cooking in the kitchen. You don’t have to enjoy cooking but there will be meals that you love to eat that are not that painful to cook. With a little preparation and organization you can sit down to food that excites you.

My menu plan fits into my life and is realistic
This is where you need to be totally realistic and tell it like it is. If you have little time to cook then it’s no use planning a three course menu.  It’s not going to happen. If you have children that don’t eat what you like to eat, you will find yourself preparing two or three different meals.  Then it’s futile to cook a recipe that takes two hours to prepare because you will be too tired to eat it

When you decide on a recipe make sure that it fits into your lifestyle and your commitments for that day. There are so many cooking shows and websites now dedicated to great healthy easy options that don’t break the budget and don’t require a university degree to cook it. Spend some time finding recipes that you love to cook and eat and then create a filing system so that you can easily find them when you want to make them again. It’s also a good idea when trying new recipes to rate them so that you know if it was a winner or not.

I only buy food according to the menu plan and to replenish low stocks of staples. By sticking to the shopping list, you will know exactly what you need to buy so you won’t be tempted to throw in that extra packet of biscuits as you walk down the biscuit isle. It definitely saves you money at the register and prevents unnecessary wastage.

I don’t have junk food in the house
If you are trying to lose weight then you are tempting fate by having a junk drawer full of all those forbidden goodies that tease you every time you walk past. It’s like sticking a bone in front of a dog and then telling it not to eat it.  It’s darn cruel, that’s what it is. If it’s not in the house then you can’t eat it.  Unless of course you get into your car and drive down to the 7/11 in the middle of the night and then I would say there’s a  bigger issue than a chocolate craving going on.
My kitchen is clean
The kitchen is sometimes the heart of the home. There is so much energy happening in that space and so it’s important to make sure that there is no energy loss happening as well. That’s why it’s important to have a clean and tidy kitchen. There’s nothing worse than walking past a sink full of dirty dishes and thinking, ‘oh I must get to those’.  Because each time that happens you’re losing energy.  The Fly Lady is a great website for learning how to keep your kitchen and house clean.

When you are preparing nutritious, loving meals for your friends and family you deserve a pleasant environment to work in. This space should be clean and free from germs that spread disease. Imagine if you went to a restaurant and after your meal you walked into the kitchen and saw dirt and grime and cockroaches. You would probably be sick so you wouldn’t want that kind of environment in your own home.

It may take a little time at the start but trust me, when you are organized the amount of time you save during the week far outweighs the time spent at the beginning.

The more organized you are in the little things means great rewards for the big things!

Filed under: Health and Wellbeing, Peak Performance

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This week my husband Ian and I have been having heaps of fun developing the mission and vision statement for our Enrich Retreat. This is essential for every business because it encapsulates the identity and purpose of your business and also the focus point for everything you do.

We love to be able to create a story describing the business in a few years time. What it will be like, what it will feel like. What do the customers experience, what do you experience?

This time we decided to write an article from a Journalist’s point of view, who was interviewing me about the Retreat and what people will experience when they go there.

It was fun to go forward into the future and imagine where we will be and who we will be. I wanted to share this with you to give you an example of what I’m talking about and how you can do exactly the same with not only your business but your life.

Why not sit down and write a feature article about your dream, from the perspective of you being interviewed. Put yourself in the future; describe in detail what it is and how it feels.

Now we have clarity around our vision, we also have an article that can be submitted to the media for some great exposure when the time is right.

Here it is:

A Sanctuary to escape to right here in suburbia!

Creator, founder and owner of Enrich Retreat and Spa, Karina Stephens, says she and her husband Ian, started with a vision in mind. ‘We wanted a serene space where people could not only escape from their reality for a while, but a place of knowledge into which people can retreat to find clarity, access wisdom, and emerge better able to engage with their world in a more meaningful way. We wanted our retreat to be more than just a day spa – it would address the whole person – body, mind and spirit. It’s a place of replenishment and clarity, where they receive education, inspiration and empowerment to address their issues, and return to life more capable and in tune with themselves, more loving and compassionate and more beautiful within, as well as on the surface.”

She see’s herself and her team as offering ‘inner renovations’. “We are inner change facilitators offering a more holistic approach to wellness. Our programs address not only your outer beauty, but focus also on optimizing your sense of health, vitality and well-being”.

As a co-creator of ‘Neuro-transformational Strategies, Karina wanted the Enrich Retreat and Spa to also address the invisible world of the client – their mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. “Our years of listening to feedback from corporate executives, confirmed our suspicion that people are yearning for knowledge and looking for the missing structure and tools which allow them to address the needs of the ‘being within the body’.

Mission Statement: The Enrich Retreat & Spa exists to:

• Provide a unique and inviting sanctuary where people can retreat to renovate their inner and outer being; and
• Serve people and equip them with tools to enhance and ENRICH their well-being and their life.

We will create clients addicted to coming back. When clients come to the retreat, they will:

• Be absolutely certain they are in a special spiritual place. They will be certain that they are in the capable hands of a team of ‘Inner Change Facilitators’. Certain about the value for money.
• Feel a Sense of connection and a part of the Enrich family
• Discover A diverse variety of programs and treatments which address the mind, body and the soul
• Grow and evolve, leaving with expanded knowledge of how to achieve fulfilment in their world
• Feel like they are the most important person in the world
• Leave with a heightened sense of trust and faith in themselves and in Enrich – they will want to return as part of a regular ritual to manage their life more effectively,
• Have experienced a team of people who have a ‘servant’ mentality – you are at the centre of our world.

Enrich Retreat and Spa is located at Tweed Heads, 15 Minutes from Coolangatta Airport and is definitely a MUST VISIT location.

There, how cool is that! It certainly provides a great deal of content that you can use to build a business plan or create a vision board and a list of goals.

Filed under: Business, Personal Development

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If you want to be successful then it makes sense that your work space is a place which conveys that energy. It’s where you spend so much of your time and creativity and provides you with a deep sense of groundedness, inspiration and feeds you energy rather than zaps it from you.

Here are seven  ideas to help you go from clutter and chaos to creative heaven. The secret is to lean into it rather than change everything all at once and then not be able to sustain it. By just picking one or two ideas to start with you will be able to better manage the changes and as they become habits you can implement other ideas.

Idea Number One: It’s all in the name!

Whether you have a desk, an office or a room, call it a name that conjures up fun and wealth and excites you such as your creative space or your money magnet area. A desk is something that you work from; an artist table is something that you create with. An office sounds serious and all work, no play, the wealth play room say’s ‘this is where I make money and have fun at the same time’.

Have fun with the names, once you have thought of a name, print out a colourful sign and pin it to the door or your wall where you can see it every day.

Idea Number Two: A place for everything!

Clutter means blocked energy so make sure that everything has a home. A messy desk means you’re losing energy all the time. Only have the bare minimum on the bench and shelves, keep drawers tidy and fully stocked. Regularly file away papers, make it a habit every week to have a filing hour or pay someone else to do it. Delegate what you don’t like to do and do more of what you are good at.

Idea Number Three: Flowers and Candles just for you!

Treat yourself to fresh flowers once a week or pick them from the garden. They always brighten up a room and bring a bit of nature into your space. I love tealight candles. They are all over my home. Keep one at your desk or in the room and burn it during the day. Candles don’t have to be just for night time.

Idea Number Four: Ignite the Senses!

Burning aromatherapy oils are a great way to create moods and shift the energy. It balances emotions, reduces stress and increases confidence. Get a burner just for your office and burn your favourite essence every day. If you’re bored, burn peppermint, if you’re confused burn jasmine, if you are anxious burn bergamot. It is amazing the difference it makes.

Idea Number Five: Hydrate with style!

Keep a beautiful water jug and glass with lemon on your desk. My coach Christine Kane stated that having her water flask at her desk felt like hitting the gym so she suggested this idea and it certainly makes you feel like you’re hydrating in style.

Idea Number Six: Create a Manifestation wall!

The backboard of my desk is my vision board. I call it my manifestation wall and each day as I sit and type away I glance over at all the things that are making their way into my life. My new home, my career goals, people who I respect and admire, affirmations and love notes from my husband. It’s a great way to attract your hearts desires.

Idea Number Seven: Energise with sage!

Whenever I want to shift the energy I burn sage. It clears out all the negativity and neutralises it. I sage my money magnet playroom at least once a week. I do it more often if there has been a lot of people through or if I just feel slightly off.

Energy plays a big part in creating wealth so you want to make sure that the space where you create has the best energy in order to be able to do this. Plus when you are in this type of environment you are able to receive so much more inspiration and guidance. Your energy levels are higher and your emotions are more grounded.

Give it a go and see the difference it can make to you life!

Filed under: Peak Performance

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Need to lose a little weight? Maybe a lot of weight? Tried every diet under the sun?

Things not going according to plan, the weights not coming off and you don’t have time to exercise? Then maybe you need to be a bit kinder to yourself.

Setting a goal is crucial to your weight loss journey, if you don’t know where you’re going you will end up anywhere right?

The important thing to remember though is that a goal is an action plan and plans can change. Life teaches us this all the time. We plan to get to work on time but traffic makes us 10 minutes late. We plan to get a full night sleep but the baby keeps us up all night. You get my point.

Sometimes we can feel like we are going backwards instead of forwards. A universal law is that we need to be flexible and adjust or we end up fighting against things that are out of our control and all this does is bring stress and pain. Creating an action plan needs to have the same rules applied – be flexible.

One of my previous clients is the perfect example of someone who desperately needed such a plan. Carole, a 39-year-old divorcee with three children, came to me after trying many, many diets and failing every time to keep the weight off.

Carole had very clear goals about what she wanted to achieve and by when. She wanted to lose 15kg in three months and drop two dress sizes. Not an unrealistic goal by any means if you do the required activity.

I provided Carole with a detailed training program that consisted of small bite size goals of losing 1-2kg a week.

To achieve this Carole had to follow a calorie controlled diet and disciplined exercise routine.

I knew Carole was a very busy woman so I suggested if this goal was unrealistic for her lifestyle she should set a goal that provided more leeway.

Perhaps she should set a goal where she only needed to lose ½ – 1kg a week and extend the timeframe up to six months.

Carole dismissed this idea and insisted on the three-month time frame.

We met once a week to train and assess Carole’s progress. After two months Carole had lost only 7kg and was becoming very disheartened at the process. One week she had even gained 2kg.

This confirmed my fears that due to the demands of being a working single mother, Carole’s goal was too ambitious for her lifestyle.

I recommended to Carole that we refocus and adjust the goal accordingly. Unfortunately for Carole she wired not meeting her goals as failure and gave up.

This was a pattern with Carole and unfortunately one that lead to her detriment. If Carole had only set realistic goals and was flexible then she would have eventually succeeded and achieved her desired results.

As a result she judged herself as a failure. Sometimes stopping and looking back provides us with the insight to see our mistakes and the wisdom to move forward in a more empowering way.

I saw Carole 12 months later at a shopping centre. She had put on more weight and sadly informed me that she was still “fighting a losing battle” when it came to weight loss.

Carole’s story is not unique and this is why we stress the importance of the “regress to progress” principle.

Taking a step backwards is not the end of a goal – it is merely another step in the journey of success.

Call to action: Write down your goals according to 1 month, 6 months, 12 months and 5 years. Be realistic about what you can achieve yet still challenging. Make sure you go back and review regularly where you are at and if you need to adjust in any way. Be flexible and most importantly if you need help then get it!

Filed under: Health and Wellbeing

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Have you ever woken up and just knew it was going to be a real bad hair day….

Filed under: Funny, Photos

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On a trip back to visit my parents I bumped into an old school friend. We hadn’t seen each other for over 20 years and I was interested to find out what she had been up to. Over a coffee she proceeded to tell me that life hadn’t really gone to plan. She was going through a rather messy divorce, had lost her mother to cancer less than a year ago and had major financial issues that were worrying her. She truly felt that she had wasted a lot of years with the wrong man and had given up a promising career in radio in order to raise a family. She was in the middle of a winter season and couldn’t see a way out.

I truly believe that great things are birthed from great pain. Child birth is the perfect example of this. Not that I have experienced this personally and being 40 now I have no desire to rush out and try it just so that I can prove my theory. I did see my nephew being born and witnessed first hand my sister go from a loving feminine soon to be mother to a demon with teretts syndrome and back again in the space of 9 hours.

The pages of life’s history books are filled with the stories of great overcomings. Ordinary human beings facing extraordinary circumstances and against all odds, coming out the victor and inspiring others in the process. This is what life is all about isn’t it? Rising up against adversity, stretching and growing and transcending through life’s levels.

Each level containing Universal Laws which are hidden behind our unconscious living and Egotistic States and as the eyes of our soul are opened up we ‘remember’ a life law revealed to us, waiting for us to finally ‘get it’ so that we can continue to progress through life living our purpose.

In the midst of our pain lies the darkness, confusion and brokenness. The light is absent here except for the next step. There is no illumination on the future. No brightness to light the wilderness with which we trek. Out steps are heavy with the weight of this yoke on our shoulders.

We’ve all been here or presently here and we all will return again. For these are the Labour Pains of Life. There is no birth without them. Trying to numb the pain with drugs and alcohol only lengthens the gestation period.

But as with every birth comes a new life. A new beginning just as spring follows every winter, there is a rebirth. For this is the cycle of life. The old needs to die before the new can be born. Everything is as it is meant to be.

And just like the snake who sheds its skin we need to shed our old self so that our new enlightened self can shine forth. The snake does not carry its old skin around with it once it’s shed. It leaves it and moves on.

Unfortunately a lot of us hold on to our pasts like excess baggage, cluttering up our hearts and minds and limiting our true potential. Baggage is classed as anything you can not say thank you for and just like the snake we need to leave it behind and move on.

This process is called letting your mess be your message. A powerful tool for liberating yourself and empowering others to do the same.

Filed under: Philosophy

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This is a photo of my niece and nephew, the eyes tell the story.

Click here to see the full image….

Filed under: Photos

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